Pottsgrove hires new assistant superintendent at salary of $150K

LOWER POTTSGROVE — The Pottsgrove School District has announced the hiring of another administrator in what may be the last piece of a shifting administrative puzzle that has stretched over nearly a year.

William R. Shirk, currently the principal of Upper Perkiomen High School, has accepted a nearly five-year contract for the post of Assistant Superintendent of Administration, a hire which must still be approved by the school board at the Nov. 12 board meeting.

Shirk will be compensated at a pro-rated annual salary of $152,500 and his contract will begin Jan. 13, 2014, or upon his release from his current employer, whichever is earlier, and end June 30, 2018 — assuming it is approved by the school board.

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Shirk is a resident of Phoenixville and is “regionally well-known and respected as an educational leader serving in administrative positions in both Spring-Ford and Upper Perkiomen school districts,” according to a release issued by the administration Friday afternoon.

“Since 2007, Dr. Shirk has been the principal at Upper Perkiomen High School where he enjoys a reputation for strong leadership, interpersonal and employee relation skills. Under his leadership, Upper Perkiomen High School has experienced significant improvements in academic performance,” the release stated.

Shirk earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Temple University, where he received a full athletic scholarship and earned his doctorate at Immaculata University, according to the release.

“I have been a member of the educational community for over 28 years” Shirk said. “I fervently value the commitment public education has made to the students and families it serves. It is of particular interest to me that a school district upholds its legacy as an institution devoted to academic excellence, fiscal responsibility, integrity, and diversity. Pottsgrove is that district.”

Shirk’s hiring may well mark the end of a series of personnel changes among the district’s leadership which began last December, when Michelle Bozzini left Ringing Rocks Elementary School, was temporarily replaced with Barbara Guy, at a cost of $500 per day, and ultimately replaced by Lisa Jones, who took over in July.

Leaving the district in March was Todd Davies, the director of education and assessment, who was replaced by Barbara Burke-Stevenson on a temporary basis and a cost of $600 per day.

In May, former Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School Principal Ruth Fisher announced her retirement and Yolanda Williams, who was heading up the high school, was tapped, at Williams’s request, to replace her.

In August, Human Resources Director Leticia Rodriguez resigned after less than a year with the district.

At about the same time, Pottsgrove Middle School Principal William Ziegler was named as the new principal at the high school and subsequently David Ramage, who had served as Ziegler’s assistant principal, was promoted to the top post at the middle school.

“We need someone to manage human resources, to manage curriculum and instruction, and to focus on comprehensive planning, monitoring the schools’ continuous improvement plans and mentoring principals. The district will post job descriptions for one assistant superintendent and another director-level position in some combination to assume these duties,” Feola told Sanatoga Post Editor Joe Zlomek.

In August, Feola said the district would explore combining “responsibilities in different ways to best match the people we hire to the needs we have to fill. My priority is finding candidates that will best help us advance our student achievement goals.” Such a “slight reorganization of administrative roles and responsibilities” might even result in a cost savings, Feola told The Post.

There was no mention of cost-savings in the release issued by the district Friday afternoon.

As a result, the raises pushed the payroll for those 14 administrators to more than $1.65 million in the current school year.

Superintendent Feola and Business Manager David Nester each received 3 percent raises.

Feola’s salary increased by $5,242; from $169,500 to $174,742. Nester’s salary increased by $4,509 from $150,292 to $154,801.

With a starting salary of $152,500, Shirk will have the district’s third-highest administrative salary.

“I am very excited that Dr. Shirk will be joining our administrative team. His experience and proven track record as a principal has prepared him to take this next big step” said Feola said in the release. “We believe he will provide outstanding leadership and central office support for the work going on in our schools, as we continue to implement our new comprehensive plan for continuous improvement.”

About the Author

Evan Brandt has worked for The Mercury since November 1997. His beat includes Pottstown, the surrounding townships and the Pottstown and Pottsgrove school districts, as well as other varied general topics like politics, the environment and education. Reach the author at ebrandt@pottsmerc.com
or follow Evan on Twitter: @PottstownNews.